When I stopped by Target last week to pick up a few things, I giggled a bit as I walked toward the back of the store… It looked like a tornado of pink and red had swept through the aisles, leaving behind a trail of crêpe paper, balloons, and candy!

Always on the lookout for new recipe inspiration (and with a huge sweet tooth, too!), I stopped to browse through the Valentine’s Day displays. I saw the usual conversation hearts with cute sayings stamped across their fronts, bags of Ghirardelli chocolate squares in a variety of flavors, and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate truffles…

But I also stumbled upon some new treats, like Oreos with spicy cinnamon flavored filling, Ghirardelli strawberry bark squares (instead of peppermint bark, like during Christmas!), champagne flavored cotton candy and gummy bears, and cupcake flavored Hershey kisses…. To name a few.

Although highly tempted by some of the dark chocolate treats, I managed to leave the aisles before anything jumped into my basket. Yet as I continued my shopping, my mind kept drifting back to some of those sweets, like the Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares with raspberry filling…

So when I arrived back at home, I mixed up a batch of these Healthy Small Batch Fudgy Dark Chocolate Raspberry Brownies to get my chocolate fix—without too many tempting leftovers! They’re extremely easy to make and just 65 calories!
That’s a Valentine’s Day miracle, if you ask me! ♡

To make these healthy brownies, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!) and cocoa powder (like this!). White whole wheat flour has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, but it has a lighter taste and texture because it comes from a special variety of soft white wheat (hence the name!). That truly lets the rich chocolate flavor of these brownies shine!

It’s very important that you measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either ingredient will dry out your brownie batter, and too much cocoa powder will make your brownies taste bitter… Instead of decadent and dark chocolaty!

Next comes just a tiny bit of melted butter or coconut oil… Because these guilt-free brownies get the rest of their fudgy texture from Greek yogurt! You know how much I ♡ Greek yogurt. It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your brownies a protein boost, too!

To keep these brownies refined sugar-free, you’ll sweeten them with pure maple syrup (like this!). You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees. Skip the pancake syrups and sugar-free syrups! The only ingredient on the label should be “pure maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).

Just before spreading the batter into the pan, you’ll gently fold in diced fresh raspberries. Try to cut them to be about the same size as chocolate chips so every bite of brownie has a burst of sweet fruity flavor! I also reserved a few pieces to press into the top of the batter. How cute does that look?

Because this is a small batch recipe, you’ll need a small 6”-square pan. I used this one! I found it on the wedding aisle at Walmart. (That aisle actually has lots of great baking equipment and ingredients!) If you can’t find a 6”-square pan, then an 8×4” loaf pan will work, or you can use two 5¾x3” mini loaf pans.

How decadent do those brownies look? Perfect for Valentine’s Day… Or any day you’re craving chocolate! (That’s every day for me!) 🙊 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 😊) I’d love to see your brownies!

These decadent brownies are perfect for Valentine’s Day—or any day you’re craving chocolate! They’re supremely fudgy and rich, similar to the flavor of 70% dark chocolate, with plenty of sweet fruity flavor. Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Mix in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in 3 ½ tablespoons of raspberries.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining raspberries on top. Bake at 300°F for 12-16 minutes (12 minutes yields the fudgiest brownies; 16 minutes yields slightly firmer brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 8 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before serving.

Notes:This is the 6”-square baking pan that I use. I found mine at Walmart on their wedding aisle! If you can’t find one (and they’re really handy to have!), then substitute an 8x4” loaf pan –OR– divide the batter between two mini loaf pans (they should be 5¾x3” in size).

Regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may be substituted as well, but be extremely careful when measuring it!

I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. The brownies already taste very rich and dark chocolaty without it!

It's really important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, like this or with a kitchen scale. (← That's the one I own and love!) Too much of either will make your brownie batter dry, and too much cocoa powder will make your brownies taste bitter instead of rich and chocolaty.

Try to cut the raspberries to be about the same size as chocolate chips. This ensures your brownies bake evenly and that every bite contains a sweet bit of fruit! Frozen and thawed raspberries may be substituted for the fresh.

Would it be possible to make these with less cocoa and replace the amount with more flour and would it matter if I left out the raspberries, Amy I came across your site and just cant get enough of you recipes, thank you.

These are AMAZING!!! I also appreciate it so much that every ingredient is listed in cups AND in grams! It’s really helpful and so many people neglect that some people (like me) don’t tend to use cups as a measuring thing. I like it with just a bit more salt 🙂 amazingly done!!!

Hi,
I made these brownies today, carefully weighing everything out, but found them a bit dry and tasteless. They seemed quite heavy when I mixed them up. Do you think some extra yoghurt might have helped the texture and some extra vanilla might have helped the flavour? Also, I used honey instead of maple syrup. Do you think maple syrup would have made much difference? Also I think I should have turned my oven down a bit as it is a fan oven, so I’m kicking myself for that.
I want to try the carrot and banana bread next; do you recommend adding more yoghurt to that if it seems to need more moisture when I make the mixture?
Your recipes sound so delicious and inventive, I just want to get them right.
Many thanks

I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Elaine! I think the biggest issue was your oven temperature. If it a fan-assisted / convection-style oven, then you typically need to reduce the baking temperature by about 25°F. Overbaking them will contribute to them turning out dry. How long did you bake them for? Also, did you make any other modifications besides the honey, including those listed in the Notes section underneath the Instructions? And did you use a 6″-square pan as instructed? We’ll get this sorted out so your brownies turn out much better! 🙂

Hi Amy,
Thank you for your speedy reply!
I baked them for 12 and a half minutes. I used an 8×4 loaf tin to bake them in.
I think the egg could have been bigger and I could have melted the butter better. Also I used standard whole wheat flour (though not bread flour).
I couldn’t get hold of any raspberries so I used nuts instead.
I have to say I tried a bit this morning and it is a little squidgier! Still kicking myself about the oven temperature as I should have known that. I suppose, having never baked brownies before, 300f seemed quite a low temperature anyway.
By the way, should it be quite a heavy consistency when it is mixed?
Best wishes,

My pleasure, Elaine! If you didn’t use a large egg (i.e. medium or small instead), then that would definitely affect the texture! If your butter wasn’t fully melted, that would also affect the texture. These brownies do turn fudgier over time, which is why I recommend waiting at least 8 hours after the brownies have come completely to room temperature to slice them. (You can cut that time in half if you pop the pan in the fridge after they’re at room temperature!) Cutting into them earlier than that will result in a drier / cakier texture. The brownie batter should be very thick, and if you scoop some of it out of the bowl with a spoon, it should mostly hold its shape on the spoon. 🙂

Lovely recipe! Tried it out today but sadly they burnt. I put the batter in a 8” pan as I didn’t have a 6” one for 14 minutes and I use a microwave oven so I baked them on 150C. They came out really thin and burnt. I was so dissapointed but it’s a really good recipe. If you can figure out my mistake it would be great if you could help me out.

I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nidhi! The problem is actually the pan. There isn’t enough batter to fill an 8″-square pan. I actually included two other alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe; do you have either of those? (I know it can be easy to miss that section!) If you don’t, and you only have an 8″-square pan and none others, then use this recipe of mine instead. It has the same flavors, but it’s made for an 8″-square pan (so there will be enough batter and your brownies won’t turn out burnt!). 🙂

Thank you so much for your reply Amy! I just had another question. You’ve written 6tbsp (45g) for flour and 6tbsp (30g) for cocoa powder. I have tablespoon measurements and I measured both flour and cocoa powder using them but I feel there was extra cocoa powder. I put 6tbsp of flour and around 5.5 tbsps of cocoa powder but I think the cocoa powder got a little too much. Could you please guide me for accurate measurements of both.

It’s my pleasure Nidhi! Those gram measurements are correct. Weight is based off of density, rather than volume. If you measured out 1 cup of cotton balls versus 1 cup of sand, they’d take up the same amount of space (volume)… But the cup cotton balls would definitely weigh less than the cup of sand! Or if you measured out 1 pound of cotton balls versus 1 pound of sand, you’d end up with a small handful of sand… And a pillowcase or two full of cotton balls! Same weight, different volume. Does that make sense? 🙂

The same thing applies to different ingredients. 1 cup of flour weighs 120g, whereas 1 cup of cocoa powder weighs 80g. (Check the nutrition label on the sides of your packages — they should show the grams per serving, which is usually grams per ¼ cup for flour and grams per tablespoon for cocoa powder!) 🙂

If you don’t own a kitchen scale, then here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the batter, so you’ll end up with perfectly fudgy brownies. Does that make sense? 🙂

The Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook is perfect for any and all chocolate lovers. Whether you enjoy chocolate occasionally or every single day (that’d be me!), there are plenty of goodies inside for you!
Healthier Chocolate Treats contains 50+ brand new healthier recipes. These recipes have never been seen before or appeared on my blog. You won’t find them anywhere else!
And yes—every single one contains some form of chocolate. Whether you prefer milk, dark or white, there are lots of treats inside for you!
What Inspired You to Write Healthier Chocolate Treats?
I have always loved chocolate. Every Halloween throughout my childhood, I inverted the entire contents of my bright … Read More

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